The Sun King
by TheSunQueen
Summary: Years after the original events of Yamatai, Lara's work leads her back to the cursed island. She discovers that a supernatural power still haunts the island and as she faces her ghosts there, she discovers that not all of them are truly dead. [Set between Tomb Raider 2013 and the classics]
1. Chapter 1

Shadows danced gently along the window panes as moonlight filtered through the trees, the leaves casting ghostly shadows across each sheet of mottled glass. The air in the room was warm tonight, as spring was slowly making way for summer.

Lara lay in bed, eyes toward the dancing shadows, but unseeing as her mind churned with unsettling thoughts.

It had been seven years since Yamatai. She had come so far and done so much in that time, yet the thought of returning to the island had her stomach in knots. Lara Croft was known to be ambitious, ruthless and, above all, fearless. There was nothing that she couldn't do.

A sigh as Lara turned onto her back, throwing the covers aside and staring at the ceiling. So many of her expeditions had been similar to Yamatai in some ways. Bloodshed, pain, seemingly impossible climbs, a touch of the supernatural… these were all part of her. But she had hardened to them. Back on Yamatai, she had been filled with fear and doubt. The thought of returning to the island brought back a small part of that version of her.

 _That isn't who you are anymore,_ she told herself silently. _Not even close._

For the third time that night, she picked up her phone, the screen glowing in the darkness, and scrolled through her contacts to Sam's number. Again, she decided not to send a text to her old friend. She shouldn't worry her about this. She knew Sam would probably tell her not to go, anyway.

It didn't seem like Lara had much choice but to revisit her past, though. There was no way around it. She let out a small, bitter laugh and threw her legs over the edge of the bed. It seemed sleep would not come to her, so she decided to make better use of her time.

She quietly padded through the empty hallways of Croft manor. Pre-Yamatai, Lara had come to loathe the manor, but a few years later, she had accepted her old home again. The library had proven useful countless times and the gym kept her strong and ready for anything. The memories of her parents were no longer painful, but rather warm and fond. The place was no longer lonely, either, despite the fact that only she and Winston remained as permanent residents. Lara enjoyed the solitude, if she was honest.

The click of a lamp switch bathed the library in a soft glow.

An old book lay open on her desk. Lara turned a few pages until she found a beautifully detailed ink drawing of a Japanese temple on a mountain side, a tall statue on a mountain in the distance. A female figure, draped in a kimono, a halo-like disc behind her head, rays protruding from it, resembling the sun.

When Lara had first seen it, she had felt the blood drain from her face. Her lips parted in a soft gasp, she'd traced her fingers over the page, remembering seeing those exact statues on Yamatai, particularly the one that stood over the mountain village. She'd gazed up at that same awe-inspiring figure as she waited for Roth to wake up after the wolf attack. A slight smile graced Lara's lips as she thought of Roth. To this day, she carried his words and his teachings with her. She wondered what he'd think of her returning to Yamatai after all this time.

Lara turned another page, to another ink drawing. Just as detailed, it depicted a crown, tall and elegant, peaking to resemble a flower. Lara would recognise that crown anywhere. The image of Himiko, risen from the dead, had been etched into her mind forever. Now presented in this book as a powerful artefact, it had been surreal to Lara when she'd first turned that page.

An artefact with such power, of course, could fall into the wrong hands if Lara didn't go after it herself. She had seen first-hand how dangerous Himiko had been – what if the Sun Queen had gained her power from this crown? Lara couldn't let anyone get their hands on it.

It was said that the crown would return to the temple when it was no longer owned by someone. Himiko had been killed, so if this legend was true, Lara would be able to recover it there.

Lara closed the book heavily. She needed to clear her head, so she went back to her bedroom, changed into track pants, a cropped sports top, and running shoes.

She ran down the sweeping staircase she'd played on as a child, and opened the manor's heavy front door. Lara breathed in the crisp late night air and cracked a genuine smile.

Lara had worked with Alister twice over the past year. The man was resourceful, and had been able to give her leads and information that she hadn't found anywhere else.

He had called her just less than a week ago to inform her that a certain group had found information about a powerful Japanese artefact. The fact that he refused to tell her who this group was frustrated Lara, but she listened to what he had to say. When he'd said that this 'crown' could have possibly been a part of Yamatai, Lara had scoffed. She'd seen enough of that island to last her several lifetimes. Besides, this artefact could have been anywhere around Japan.

Alister had told her of some books she could get her hands on that might give her some clues, and that he would continue his own research. She'd taken the opportunity to remind him that she hadn't actually agreed to anything, but had started tracking down the books as soon as she'd ended the call. Finding them had not been easy, but it had at least been quicker than expected.

After finding that it did seem to be a part of Yamatai, Lara had called Alister to somewhat reluctantly reveal her findings.

"Will you do it?" he had asked hesitantly.

Lara had been silent for a moment. She'd known what was at stake if the truth behind this myth was as accurate as the books said, and if this artefact matched Himiko's power, it being found could result in disaster. Still, the thought of returning to Yamatai after all these years was unsettling. "Let me think about it," she'd replied.

Alister had started to say something then, but Lara had hung up before she gave him a chance to say anything more. She couldn't let anyone see that side of her – the trembling, tearful girl freshly washed up on Yamatai.

Now, in the dead of the night, she dialled Alister's number.

He answered immediately. "Lara?"

"I thought you might still be awake," she said with a laugh.

"Always research to be done," he said, sounding less amused than her.

"I'll do it," she said.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "Great!" Alister replied. "I was starting to worry I'd have to find someone else. I don't think I know anyone who could take on-"

"I'll start making arrangements in the morning," she said, cutting him off before he could start practically gushing.

This was it. She was returning to Yamatai.


	2. Chapter 2

Usually Lara would have indulged in some banter with the pilot before possibly jumping straight out of the helicopter and into the sea. Today, she was not quite in her usual carefree mood. She also recalled how rough the seas had been around the island, and although much calmer now, she knew how perilous jumping into the water would be, as the rocks had eroded into jagged pillars beneath the waves over those stormy centuries.

The chopper touched town in a clearing near some cliffs that overlooked the ocean.

"Thanks," was all Lara said as she stepped out, her heart pounding.

It was almost funny. She had grown into an incredibly confident woman, and nothing could get under her skin. Nothing except Yamatai, it seemed.

For quite some time after the fateful trip into the Dragon's Triangle, Lara had suffered with PTSD and had struggled to come to terms with the events that had taken place on the island. In the years following that, though, Lara had become stronger than she could have imagined, and she had thought she would never again feel anything even close to the weakness and fear that she had experienced on Yamatai. Yet here she stood, willing her body to remain calm.

Knowing she would return had brought back unpleasant memories, but being here brought them boiling up to the surface, threatening to overflow from her.

She blinked back tears and took several deep breaths.

How much would Yamatai have changed since they had discovered it?

For a couple of years after the discovery, Yamatai had been a place of interest for more daring explorers and archaeologists, but despite Himiko being gone, the region was still unsafe. There had been a few expeditions to the island, but they had always gone awry. The storms no longer bound people to the island, but perhaps there was some other malevolent force that wanted them gone. Lara had considered this as possible evidence of the crown indeed being here. Whatever the cause was, she would have to be careful.

As she made her way through the forest and down the mountain slopes, Lara couldn't help but think of everything she had lost in this place. Of course, she had been thinking of these things all week as she had prepared to return to the island.

Roth had been Lara's guide and strength. She wouldn't have been the woman she was today without his wisdom and training. She missed him every time she climbed a mountain, yet always felt as though parts of him were with her during those times.

Like now, as she came to a high craggy wall. She hooked her climbing axe – different to the one Roth had given her – into the surface, with a firm grip, concealing the fact that her hands were shaking. She remembered her words all those years ago. _I don't think I'm that kind of Croft._ It turned out she was, just as he had said, and she was spectacular at what she did.

Lara slowed down as she neared the top, listening for voices. Sure enough, she could hear two men having a conversation. Their voices were too low to hear what it was about. Were the Solarii still here? Hadn't they realised they could leave? Had some of them chosen to stay after all?

Thinking back to the news she had heard about the island in the years after, it made sense. Although nothing like it had been before, ships still sunk in the region sometimes, and weather still made it difficult to fly here. Besides those issues, some of the archaeologists who had come to Yamatai had been killed on the island. Others had been badly wounded in various ways. The Solarii must have remained here, and no forces had been sent in to clear them out.

Lara slowly peeked her head over the ledge she hung below. A small, one-room building, its walls long gone, torn away by the storm. Some trees over to the left. More craggy walls to climb. Nothing else. No humans in sight. Lara's eyes darted around to see where the voices could possibly have come from, but couldn't find a source.

She pulled herself up over the ledge and withdrew a pistol from one of her holsters. She made her way quickly to the building. Although it provided little cover, it was better than nothing. Still no sight of the men. No sound of them either.

Lara's brow knitted in confusion. She was a deadly hunter, and could spot her enemies with ease from a distance, or through bushes. She could pinpoint where they were just by the sounds of their voices and movement. If the men she had heard were indeed the Solarii as she had suspected, she would have been able to spot them in a heartbeat. They hadn't exactly been the most lethal bunch she'd ever encountered. Was she dealing with better trained men, who could detect her as easily as she could sense them? She'd have to really keep her wits about her.

Making her way carefully around the small building, Lara looked around one last time before making her way up to the next area.

She was moving north-west, the rising sun on her back. During her preparations, she had tried to figure out which area exactly was depicted in the book. The drawing had shown a temple on the side of a mountain with a large sun queen statue in the distance behind it, but there were plenty of both on the island.

By what she could remember, Lara had deduced that the largest statue of Himiko was near the very centre of the island, and according to the drawing, the temple she needed to head to was south of that. She couldn't be absolutely sure, but it was a good place to start.

She was approaching from the south east edges of the island, and hoped she was right about where she was headed. The less time spent in this god forsaken place, the better.

Pulling herself up onto a high rocky outcrop, she surveyed her surroundings. Sure enough, a few kilometres in the distance, she spotted what looked like the large statue of the Sun Queen near the mountain village. Lara scowled upon seeing it, remembering how Himiko had damaged Sam, not just on the island but months after it, too. Their friendship had started falling apart during that time, and even now, after years of healing, they could never be as close as they once were. Lara had lost so much to this place. Sam would definitely have said she was insane to be back here.

Where would the temple be? Lara had memorised the drawing. Getting closer to the statue would help, since it would show more clearly the angle she was seeing it from. Lara squinted her eyes. With its size and shape, she was fairly sure it was the figure that she sought, but through the hazy morning light, she couldn't tell which way it faced. She would have to just push forward in the direction she was already going.

She'd known that this trip wasn't going to be as easy as usual, but Lara was struggling to focus as much as she needed to. She shook her head, trying to clear it. With several deep breaths, she stretched her arms up and out.

Turning to around to look out towards the ocean, a familiar scene met her eyes, although from a new perspective.

She was staring down towards the beach that she and the others had made into a base. It still looked the same, as far as she could see. Her eyes travelled towards the left, shipwrecks protruding from the sea, concrete and metal jutting out below her. Further that way still, the place the wreck of the Endurance had gone down.

 _Alex…_

Of all the deaths on the island, it was the one that had haunted her the most. She had made the choice to leave him. It was a seemingly impossible situation at the time, and she felt there was nothing she could do, but in the end, she had run, and left him to die. During nights that she lay awake in the months that followed the events on Yamatai, Lara had thought of all the ways she could have saved him.

 _Sacrifice is a choice you make._

Guilt crept up on Lara again after all these years. There surely could have been a way, if she had just taken a few seconds to get them both out of there…

 _Focus, Lara!_

Not only did she want to get off of this island as quickly as possible, letting her mind wander here could get herself killed. She needed to keep moving.


	3. Chapter 3

On the upper slopes of the mountain where she stood, Lara was on the right track. She could see the temple from where she was. It was fairly high up on a mountain across a valley, its lower half covered by trees. It was as though she was looking at the ink drawing from the book come to life – so little had changed in the landscape over time, which was surprising considering the storms that had raged for centuries over the island. She surveyed the valley between her and the temple. A river ran along it, dirty and littered thanks to the island's inhabitants.

Easy enough to make her way across, with barrels and sheets of metal scattered throughout the water. Lara remembered tumbling down something so similar, the current dragging her between spikes and barbed wire and jet propellers… How she'd made it out of there alive was a mystery that the adventurer still hadn't solved. How she'd managed anything during that time, as weak and afraid as she had been…

"Shit," Lara whispered to herself as she heard scurrying ahead of her. Just having crossed the river, there was still plenty of scrap metal to hide behind. She took cover and waited for the sound of a shot. Nothing came. Instead, she heard more rustling, and a snort. Smiling to herself, she realised it was just a wild pig.

Thinking back to the voices she'd heard earlier, she wondered if she'd imagined them. Was this place getting to her head? She could take down large groups of mercenaries and barely bat an eye, but today she was skittish because of a wild boar.

She still had a look around to make sure it was definitely just the pig, and then continued on her way. There seemed to be no way to shake off the feelings the island was bringing back to her, and it was affecting her concentration dangerously. It was also taking the enjoyment out of this for her. Lara loved being in the mountains, climbing and exploring. The fresh air, the incredible views, the exhilarating jumps… It was what made her feel truly alive. Yet right now, her mind was far away, and she couldn't fully appreciate the moment.

The weeks following Yamatai had been the hardest. Badly wounded and mentally distressed, Lara had started the long road to recovery. She and Sam had stuck together, day and night. Sam had fallen asleep in Lara's hospital room, the two young women holding hands. They'd shared a bed in the apartment they'd stayed in afterwards, comforting one another when they woke from nightmares. Despite the island having hardened her, Lara had cried until she couldn't anymore when a memorial was held for those lost in the shipwreck and on the island. She had wept for Roth, and Alex, and Grim… even for Doctor bloody Whitman.

Lara looked up at the temple. She should be able to simply climb up there… She sighed as she started her ascent. Too many ghosts were clinging to her in this place. The island was haunting her, and she couldn't wait to leave it behind and have a clear head again.

So far, she hadn't encountered any enemies. Perhaps it would be the same inside the temple, and she would just be in and out. Assuming the artefact was in this temple after all.

A strong gust of wind rose quite suddenly. Lightning struck nearby and a branch cracked and broke off of a tree just metres from her. She inhaled sharply as it hit her arm and her hand slipped, losing grip on the rock she was about to pull herself up onto. In a split second, she found herself tumbling down. Lightning quick reflexes allowed her to swiftly grab her climbing axe and reach out, finding a small fissure to hook into. Her body slammed against the rocks as she hung there for a few seconds, catching her breath while supported only by the axe.

Lara's heart pounded in her ears. That definitely wasn't normal. Was Himiko still alive, and back here? It was impossible, surely. Had she actually gained her power from the artefact, and now someone else had found it and was using it? Was Lara too late? Either way, she definitely didn't like where this was going. It was bad enough being on Yamatai again. She would much rather she didn't have to do it in those stormy conditions, and against a powerful antagonist once more.

As quickly as the wind and lightning had come, they were gone. Lara noticed the skies were cloudier than when she had arrived.

 _If I made it out of here alive back then, I can definitely do so now. This is just an inconvenience,_ Lara reassured herself. Finally pulling up onto the ground in front of the temple, she took a few moments to catch her breath again before heading inside. After a minute, unsure of what to expect, Lara entered the temple with both of her pistols drawn.

Like most of the structures on the island, Himiko's rage had left its scars here. Wall panels were torn away in places, splintered holes gaped in the ceiling and floors. The place was lit with freshly burning candles. Lara's heartrate quickened again at the sight. There were definitely still people here, most likely the murderous Solarii cult. With Mathias dead, who was leading them? Did they still worship the Sun Queen, even though she was now gone?

Lara walked through a hole in the wall over into the next room. Where would the crown be? The book hadn't given any clues about where inside the temple it would be kept. Luckily it wasn't a particularly big place.

Finally, she came to a room that looked like it should house such an artefact. Painted on the back wall were sun-like symbols and a simple stone plinth sat on a raised platform in front of it. Scrolls hung from the walls, tattered from time, but still readable for the most part. Lara recognised the archaic Japanese characters for 'sun' and 'crown' immediately.

She was certain that the artefact would have been kept here. But it wasn't here. Of course it wasn't. Things often weren't that simple, and she should have known they wouldn't go smoothly here of all places. She just had to figure out where it was, before it was too late.

She let out a small sigh. This place was weighing her down. She needed to think, without the ghosts whispering in her ear. She would get back outdoors and consider what to do next.

Disappointed, she headed back towards the main entrance of the temple. Before she got there, however, she sensed movement. Silently, she slipped behind a wall, keeping her breath shallow and quiet, listening. Footsteps. Hushed voices. Men. Perhaps three of them. Pistols ready, she stepped out into the main hall of the temple.

A flaming bottle hurtled towards her and she dived behind the nearest pillar for cover. Straining to keep her breathing under control, Lara's eyes were wide and her heart was racing.

She didn't want to go through this again, yet it seemed as though she was reliving the nightmare. She was back on Yamatai, and after all this time, not much had changed.


	4. Chapter 4

All things considered, much about the island hadn't changed at all. But _she_ had.

Lara's expression hardened as she ran from one pillar to another, firing a shot as she went. The bullet found its target, just as she knew it would. The man, dressed in what looked like the latest shabby Solarii fashions, fell to his knees, grasping at his chest where the bullet had hit him.

There had been so many faces that flashed through her mind in the weeks after Yamatai. The faces of some of the men she'd killed had haunted her, day and night. Lifeless eyes staring at her, mouths agape and necks twisted. So many bloodied faces. Lara had killed since then. She'd had to. The faces had never stuck with her after that though.

One down, but she detected two more.

Trying to reason with the Solarii had never worked before, and she'd just killed one of them, so she doubted the others would want to chit chat. Still, she wanted answers.

"Himiko is dead!" she called out from behind her cover. "Why do you still worship her?"

An arrow whizzed right past her in response. She darted out the same side that the arrow had come from – enemies like these tended to think she'd run the other way – and fired a shot, narrowly missing her target. Another shot from her second pistol was successful, though, blasting through the side of the man's head, creating a bloody mess that Lara remained numb to.

The last remaining target let out a whimper. More cautious than the others, he managed to avoid Lara's gunfire until now. But he was also more cowardly.

"We don't worship Himiko anymore," he offered.

Lara could hear that his voice came from just outside the large ornate doorway that served as the main entrance of the temple. She glanced around the pillar, guns ready. He probably thought he could trick her to come out from her hiding spot if he offered information.

"Then why are you here?" Lara called out.

No immediate response. Lara listened out for footsteps, but couldn't hear any. Her eyes darted around. Surely he was using this time to close in on her.

The voice came from the same spot as before, though. "We can't leave."

"The curse was broken years ago!" Lara replied. "It doesn't have to be like this. Himiko is dead!"

"It's no longer the Sun Queen that binds us here," the Solarii explained.

"Then what's keeping you here?" Lara asked, frustrated.

"The Sun King," he replied.

"Sun _King_?" Lara whispered to herself.

She heard heavy footsteps as the islander began to retreat from the temple. _Shit._ She couldn't let him get away. He'd warn the others of her presence. Also, she wanted to try and get more answers out of him.

Heading straight for the entrance, guns still drawn, Lara called out, "Wait!"

The Solarii was ahead of her, running without looking back. About to head around the side of the mountain on a pathway that would have obscured her view of him, Lara had a split second to make a decision. She fired three shots, aimed at his legs. One of them hit their mark, and he screamed and fell.

Running over to his location as quickly as possible, Lara kept her guns pointed at him.

"Help!" he cried out, with a long groan of pain after that.

Despite his help so far, Lara had to be ruthless. She stood about a metre away from him, with one pistol aimed straight at his head. "Make another sound, and you'll find bullets lodged in more than just your leg."

The man glanced out towards the valley, and Lara's eyes followed for just a second. They were on a narrow pathway on the edge of a cliff that formed part of the side of the mountain. Part of the same steep rock that Lara had climbed to reach the temple. A fall straight down would be fatal. He looked back up at her.

"That's right," Lara said, her tone cold. "There's nowhere to run."

The Solarii looked up at the sky. Thick, dark clouds had gathered while Lara had been inside the temple. It was surely just an ordinary storm. The chances that this was happening all over again were low.

"He is angry," the main said quietly.

"Who is this Sun King?" she demanded. Her voice shook just a little, breaking her confident façade.

Just out of her reach, Lara had no time to grab the man before he used his arms and his one good leg to throw himself over the edge of the cliff. He went down without a sound, and with the rising wind, Lara couldn't even hear as his body hit the ground. She peered over the edge though, to make sure he was dead. Indeed, his body lay below, his limbs splayed out in every direction.

The Sun King. Who could he be? Did he really exist? While he would have been an obvious suspect for such madness, there was no way Mathias could have survived. Lara was so sure of it, so ruled him out as a possibility. Perhaps another one of the Solarii had grown power hungry after Himiko's death. There couldn't have been too many of them left, though.

The other option was that someone had come to the island and had found the crown, as Alister had feared. The artefact hadn't been where it should have. Deep down, Lara hadn't truly expected it to be. But the evidence pointed to someone being in possession of it now, and abusing its power.

Making her way back toward the temple, Lara decided to loot the other two dead Solarii for anything that could be useful. It looked like she might need to be here for longer than she'd intended.


End file.
